Our Love Was Made For Movie Screens (Hogwarts AU)
by Rookieintraining
Summary: Horrible Summary- Basically this is a Hogwarts AU where Arthurs family is evil and needs some friends to save him. Matthew and Alfred Williams-Jones were raised to by heroes. Arthur Kirkland was raised by great evil. When the two sides meet at the most famous magic school in the world, will they work together to defeat the uncoming challenges? Or will their fate get in the way?
1. Arthur Kirkland Whump Extraordinaire!

Chapter Text

"Alfie wake up, our letters are here, we get to go to Hogwarts, get up!" Matthew shouted as loudly as he could muster while jumping onto the bed that his brother was sleeping on. Alfred's eyes shot oven once he heard his twins declaration, he jumped off making Mattie fall off the edge of the bed with a crash.

"Oops, sorry dude" the blond giggled slightly before offering his hand to the other. Matthew gladly took the help, his loving amethyst eyes meeting the glowing ocean blue of his brothers for a joyous moment. "Well, lets go open those letters" Alfie announced before taking hold of the younger twins hand once more to pull him down the stairs to the living room. "You two are going to be completely amazing wizards one day" their mother murmured to herself as she watched the pair of excited eleven year olds tear open the seal on their letters. The twins mother had long blond hair and sparkling blue eyes just like her oldest son. She found herself shaking her head towards her husband as the boys jumped up and down at from excitement. Their father smiled kindly at the pair, he was unbelievably proud of his boys.

"Well, I guess that we've got to go wand shopping them..." She trailed off, her sons eyes widened exponentially at the announcement, grins adorning their already blushing faces. "Mattie, we're going to be the heroes at Hogwarts" Alfie laughed as he grabbed both of his twins hands and let out a booming laugh. The two began dancing, with Alfred spinning Mattie in circles both of them continued to giggle like buffoons. Their father, named Joshua ended up taking multiple pictures of his sons with his wife, Adeline chuckling at their actions.

"Bloody hell, I think my arms broken again" a dirty blond haired boy grumbled as he broke into a house. He sat on the window edge, of his friend Kiku Honda. "You know that if my brother catches you here then he'll kill you right" the Japanese boy groaned at Arthurs recklessness.

"Well, I need your expertise in wound binding" the British boy replied flinching at the pain that was running down into his legs. Kiku reached out his hand to help the boy into his room before lifting Arthurs shirt to check the damage. "Baka, how long are you going to put yourself through this" the raven asked angrily. "Until, I break everyone out of that bloody house, my brothers can't be left to hurt people" the eleven year old shot back, thinking about his friend Lovino. For a moment Arthur found himself wondering if the Italian he'd helped escape even survived...

"Arthur, are you listening?" Kiku complained before just pouring the now stinging liquid on a gash that was down Artie's stomach. "Ah, wanker" the Brit cried out before glaring at the smirking raven. "I tried to tell you, this is a bad wound, got any more?" Kiku asked, knowing the answer but not knowing if the boy would let him help anymore. "Haven't I always..." Arthur trailed off, his mind wondering to the whip marks on his shoulder blades and back. "You could take a look at my back, I don't think it's infected but those twats left me to die when I got them, so they haven't been treated" Artie grumbled before pulling his top off completely.

Kiku gasped, he knew that his friend was skinny, but this was simply horrific. "Do you even eat?" The Japanese boy asked, gulping when a cold look crossed the Brits face. "I don't remember the last time I ate, to be quite honest with you" he mumbled. Kiku's face fell, he took a close look at the scaring marks along the other boys spine. "What have they done to you?" Kiku whispered, his finger tips gently ghosting over the wounds. Artie didn't reply, he knew that the Japanese boy cared for him (though he couldn't figure out why). "This is going to burn" the boy declared before once again adding the liquid to Arthurs burning back.

Tears broke from his emerald eyes, he quickly pawed them away. He'd felt more pain than this... Lot's more. But that's what happens when your entire family are death eaters and you decide that unlike them you're not an evil psychopath. "I'm sorry" Kiku muttered as he started to bind the cuts on the boys back. "It's fine, I appreciate this you know..." Arthur trailed off. He looked around at the Japanese boy who'd gone completely silent after Artie had decided to share his thoughts. "Please, just don't go back, stay here with me" Honda pleaded, his eyes becoming blurry with tears. Arthur reached forward and pulled the usually nonchalant kid into his arms.

"I'm sorry Kiku, I'm putting you in enough danger as it is, you're my only real family I can't lose you" the large eye-browed Brit told him, shaking lightly as he too got emotional.

"Kiku, bring Arthur down here right now, we know he's up there" came a furious voice from downstairs. Both of the boys released each other before gasping about being caught. It had been a long while since Artie had seen Yao, Leon, Yong Soo and Mei, too long in fact considering how many times he was actually at their house. Leon was the only other member of their family that he got along with.

The boy had a natural kindness, just like the Japanese boy though unlike the raven, he chose to hide it. Kiku clutched the Brits hand once he noticed that Arthur had began to shake. "Lets go together" the Asian boy smiled kindly. He was only ever like this with Artie and somehow just that thought made Artie smile. They managed to walk down the stairs without getting maimed so both of them thanked the stars they were still alive. Kiku walked through into the living room first seeing a stern looking Yao looking at him frustrated. "I am sorry brother, but Arthur is injured and I will not leave him to die" Kiku nonchalantly told the older man. Yao let out a sigh, knowing that he wasn't going to win a fight with his stubborn baby brother.

"Big brother is worried about the family" Mai cut in watching the scene with a bitter look. Arthur bowed his head at the four others in the room (besides him and Kiku). "I'm sorry, I know that I am putting you all in grave danger" the blond gently told them, knowing that he really shouldn't be coming to the people he cared about most. "This must be the last time, what if they find out..." Yao muttered, a small shiver moving up his spine as he mentioned the Kirkland brothers. "You will all be brutally killed and they will not show any mercy when they do it" the English boy told them, not sparing their feelings.

"I will not come here again, I promise" the Brit muttered, knowing that they might be killed just because he'd actually gotten there today. He couldn't lose them too, not after Lovino went. "Alright, well at least you wasn't at home when this arrived for you" the eldest brother told him before handing him and the younger Asian a letter. "Hogwarts..." Arthur trailed off, he'd never even thought about going to school, after all, they would never let him go. "You could go with me, and you'd be free" Kiku smiled, shocking his family. "Free..." Arthur wondered aloud before giving a dark chuckle. "That's just a pipe dream for me, Kiku, even if I got there everyone would reject me, I come from a line of monsters so I don't blame them" Arthur uttered, feeling his heart break.

"Like, you are so nice though, and like once they know you they will like you" Leon sighed breaking character for a moment to speak to the upset Brit. Arthur looked up into the younger boys kind-looking eyes. Yong Soo smiled slightly as the younger Asian showed affection for the blond. He quickly jumped up and hugged the upset boy, tightly pressing his head against the Brits cheek and rubbing his with the other boys.

"Please brother, let go of him your going to crush him to death" Kiku calmly announced before the other let go of a frazzled Artie with a sigh. "You're so mean, all I wanted was to cheer the little Kirkland up a bit" Yong Soo pouted while looking at the younger brother. Arthur looked shocked for a moment before a fond look passed across his face and he started to laugh gently. "I really wish that I'd been born into this family instead" Arthur grinned, his eyes gleaming with contentment. "Me too..." Leon murmured along with Kiku, almost silently.

"Are you going to Hogwarts then?" The only female in the room suddenly asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. Kiku's head snapped towards the blond to send him a pleading look. "You'd have to escape but I wouldn't mind you attending with Kiku" Yao Wang declared, seeing how much his brother cared for the large-browed British boy. "I'm there too, I could hug you every single day!" Added the joyful South Korean teenager.

Arthur looked momentarily confused before his face lit up with happiness. "Okay, I will try, I want to be with Kiku after all..." Arthur decided, sending the eldest of the group a worried look. "I'm sure I can steal some money to get all the stuff I need and maybe I can run there... though I've never heard of a 'platform 9 and 3/4's'" Arthur told them, recalling that he'd never seen such a place when visiting the station. "If you can get there, with all the stuff on the list then I will escort you for the train and get you the train ticket" the Chinese man told him, wondering if the boy could even achieve something that seemed impossible. "Good luck" the girl cried out before giving the Brit a hug.

Yong Soo joined them, and pulled Leon into it as well. Kiku, blushed slightly but also joined in, lastly the eldest wrapped his arms around the bunch. "I wish you all the luck in the world Arthur" everyone muttered before letting him go. "Thank you, all of you, I better be going" he announced before rushing out the door. Arthur silently noted that it was the first time ever that he'd left through the front door and not a window. With that thought he smiled.  
Arthur decided that going home was a very bad idea.

It was in the mid-afternoon and he'd never gone out this long before and actually gotten away with it. His stomach growled in protest, reminding the boy of how long it had been since he'd put any sort of food into his body. "Let's see, I have 45 galleons... but can I spare any of this for food when I need to buy everything on the list?" He wondered aloud. Arthur decided that he didn't need any sort of pet, so he could definitely have to bring flying mint bunny. Before long he found his body making it's way down to the street to the entrance to the wizarding world. He walked through to the wall and opened the doorway.

The afternoon sky was painted a multitude of different vibrant colours. A vibrant orange, mixed with the golden hue of the setting sun. A bright glow of pink swarmed the colours, meeting a pastel blue, which was gradually fading as the day went on. The youngest Kirkland sighed tiredly as he walked down the street. Ollivanders was still open, a large sign on the door letting him know about the times that he closed. He gulped slightly as he decided to walk into the shop, his hands shook as he pushed it open the door that made a ringing sound as he feet went in. Arthur pulled down his hood to reveal his face as he etched a charming grin onto his lips.

"Hello there" a sweet voice came from beside him, making the young Kirkland jump slightly with a yelp. "Ah, sorry are you here to get your first wand too" the kind-looking blond asked, his soft violet eyes meeting Arthurs green ones momentarily. "Ah, I'm so sorry I didn't notice you there, yes but I'm not really sure what to do" the British boy told the Canadian with a warm tone in his voice. The boy blushed and let out a shy giggle.

"No it's alright, I'm usually not noticed, I'm not too sure what to do either, so how about we try together" the Canadian seemed very lovely Arthur noticed. "I would like that" Artie told him with a genuine smile for once. The gentle Canadian held out his hand to the British boy as an offer of friendship, Artie accepted it happily lacing his fingers with the other boys. "Well, I've never seen you two in here before" interrupted another person who was watching the two silently. Both of the eleven year olds nodded at the old man wondering who it was they were actually talking too.

"Matthew Williams-Jones" the elderly one spoke nodding towards the purple-eyed blond who looked wary for a moment. "Wow, your family is famous" proclaimed the green-eyed blond in response to the old mans words.

The Canadian gave a single shy nod before staring down at his feet like they were the most interesting things in the world. "Arthur Kir..." the old man whom Arthur guessed was Ollivander began. "So you must be Ollivander, the owner of this shop then!" The taller of the boys snapped, stopping the man from telling the sweet boy who he was. Ollivander hummed at the taller boy who glared urgently at the man. His eyes screamed 'please don't make him hate me', therefore Ollivander decided to drop the subject.

"Now, how about we start with you then Matthew" the elder man told the boys who nodded, though they were still frightened. Ollivander only took a moment to pluck a box from a nearby shelf, elegantly pulling the light container from where it lay. He walked back over to the boys with a kind smile. "Alder, 11 inches, with a dragon heartstring core" Ollivander informed Mattie who took the wand gently. He momentarily ran his fingers along a leaf that was expertly carved into the frame of the object. Mattie waved the wand slowly, only to feel a burst of magic explode from the wand. A bunch of boxes in the back of the shop blew up from the impact making both of the boys flinch. Matthew quickly dropped the wand back into the box waiting for the wand-makers reaction.

"Hmm, not that one then" the man declared as he shuffled off into the back of the shop to collect another wand for the blond to try. Mattie squeezed his new friends slender hand for reassurance before casting his worried gaze at the British boy. "Here we go, pine wood, with a unicorn core 9 inches" the elderly man recalled as he awaited the boys reaction. Mattie lifted the wand from it's casing, closing his eyes as he waved it.

This time, a book shelf on the left side of the room exploded. Mattie and Artie ducked as the pages flew everywhere. Both boys slowly began to move back upwards only to catch a glimpse of the muttering wand-maker moving to the back of the store once more to grab another wand. "Does this happen a lot?" Mattie questioned, wondering how the man could be completely unfazed by the carnage that came from the incorrect wands. "Of course, after all the wand choses the wizard" Ollivander cheerily told them before placing a box in front of Mattie, a determined look plastered on his face.

Matthew took out the wand and gasped slightly at the design. A vine of wood was carved along the handle, reaching down in stems until they moved off into individual roses marked onto the golden wood. "This is a pear wood wand, it's eleven inches and has a unicorn core" the man told the boys as Mattie admired it. Matthew gave it a simple flick, when suddenly it began to light up, becoming a beautiful gold colour. Mattie felt a warmth move through his body as the wand connected with him. "There has never been a dark wizard to ever own a pear wand, since they are attracted to the warm-hearted and generous" Ollivander told them with a smile. "Thank you, Arthur it's your turn now" Mattie said as he turned to the fascinated blond beside him.

"Okay..." Artie sighed, not sure that he wanted to cause any more damage to the charming little shop. "Hmm, what would suit you" the old man pondered his thoughts for a moment before moving to another room in order to collect a wand. "Yew, 10 inches with a unicorn core" the man grumbled as he handed the boy his first wand. "It's lovely" Artie mumbled becoming overly aware that one of his brothers had a wand made of 'yew'. He closed his eyes lightly before flicking the wand, Arthur felt a surge of energy before he noticed a loud crash. The ladder had been pushed to the other side of the room, and Mattie gasped slightly at the mess, sending the Brit a guilty look. "No, definitely not" the man announced as he took the wand back to its spot on the shelf. He knelt down and picked up another box before returning to the boys sight.

"Larch wood, with a phoenix feather core, 13 inches" the man declared before standing back to watch the boy. Arthur liked the simple design on the warm coloured wood. He saw Matthew ready himself in the corner of his eye before waving the object and seeing a ton of wands be thrown from the shelves. "Not that one either..." Ollivander proclaimed, watching Arthur place the wand back into the box. Arthur turned to Mattie who was looking at him curiously. "What's wrong?" The taller of the two asked, slightly worried about the boy holding his new wand. "Ah nothing, it's just you are very gentle with the wands that you hold" Mattie revealed making Arthur blush. The Canadian seemed to realise what he'd just said as he looked down at his feet again, a crimson colour lighting up his cheeks.

A chuckle filled the room as another wand was placed in front of Arthur. "Rowan, 10 inches with a dragon heart string core" Ollivander stated as the green-eyed boy looked at it. The wand felt almost peaceful in his hands. Artie flicked the wand only to see one box fall out of the shelf, the wand didn't feel right to him though. "Hmm, this wand likes you but it isn't yours, I wonder..." Ollivander trailed off as the boys watched him pick up the box that had just been thrown of the shelf by the rowan wooded wand. "Maybe this wand wanted to help you find your soulmate" the elderly man concluded as he offered the box to Arthur.

The British boy lifted the wand before looking at it closely. The handle was littered with tiny stars that were carved into the wooden frame. It was curved around in a spiral shape and glowed slightly in the light. Arthur didn't even have to move the wand before it started to shine letting out a silver light instead of golden, as his initials made their way into the handle of the wood. Ollivander let out a contented sigh.

"Cypress wood, 12 inches with a phoenix feature core" the man stated before smiling brightly at the boys. "This type of wood only choses the brave and self-sacrificing, and they are usually unafraid to confront their inner darkness, now doesn't that truly suit you, that other wand really took a shining to you though" Ollivander laughed before taking the money that the boys were ready to give in return for their new wands.

They turned on their heels, thanking the man kindly for his assistance. Arthur couldn't help but inspect the others new wand and neither could Matthew as they giggled at the others curiosity. "Their both beautiful, are you going to start at Hogwarts this year?" Mattie suddenly blurted out as if he'd forgotten to ask before. Artie nodded in response as Matthews face lit up. "Me too, we can be friends... Oh is that too forward of me, forgive me" the Canadian stared to tell himself off wordlessly when Arthur pulled him into a hug. "I would love to be your friend, but I must warn you I'm a..." The Brit stared to tell the boy his true name when a loud, energetic voice cut him off.

"Mattie, bro you got your wand yet, let me see" a boy with the exact same face (but with different eyes) yelled as he stormed over to the pair. The blond quickly picked up his brother and spun the boy around while giggling. "Both of you need to calm down" another person's voice rang out. A beautiful blond woman was walking over to them with a brunet male. "But mom look at how cool his wand is" Alfie boasted for his twin, making the shy twin blush at the statement. "Mine is fourteen inches, dragon and made of cedar wood, yours?" Alfie grinned excitedly awaiting the others details.

"Umm, Pear wood, eleven inches and a unicorn core" Mattie told him quietly, the other twins eyes shined at the knowledge. "That's so cool bro" Alfred grinned broadly before leaping at his mother in a warm hug, pulling his twin with him. Arthur watched the scene, deciding it was time to slip out of the space and go and find a place nearby that he could sleep. There would probably be a corner that he could sleep in, on one of the smaller paths. His feet began to move when he felt someone tug on his arm, making him turn around in shock and letting his eyes widen at the presence of the other person. "Hey wait, you were going to tell me something" the Canadian smiled softly, Arthur looked up to see the adults watching curiously and the other 'Matthew' looking frazzled. "Ah, I was just going to say goodnight" the Brit lied, bowing slowly to the boy whose eyes widened considerably.

"Wait, Arthur" Ollivander shouted stopping the boy from walking off once more. "I really should be going" Artie wanted to snap but he found himself unable to do so in front of the new friend he'd made. "I'm locking up soon, but you may rest here for the night I don't want you sleeping on the street" Ollivander told him quickly, knowing the response he would most likely get. Arthur ignored the questioning looks that was sent his way by the family in front of him. "Thank you for the offer, but I'd much rather find somewhere less easy to destroy, I wouldn't want anything to happen to your shop" Arthur told him with a warm look in his eyes. Ollivander sighed, this was typical of someone with a cypress wand, he'd always sacrifice his happiness for others.

"Then you must be careful my boy, get on that train and be free" the elderly man announced with a determined grin, Arthur's eyes widened before he hugged the man. "I'll make sure of it" the Brit squeaked before letting go of the bewildered person whom never got hugged for something so little. "Goodnight" he murmured to the child before disappearing from sight. Matthews mouth was agape when the man went missing.

"So, your sleeping on the street?" Mattie asked, worry overtaking his features. Arthur nodded in reply not wanting to give too many details in front of the boys parents who were looking at him like he was a kicked puppy. "Wait, why did you say no to sleeping somewhere warm like the shop then?" Alfred asked, he'd never seen anyone who was homeless turn down shelter before. "Because, I don't want anyone to get hurt by harbouring me" the Kirkland brother muttered before, giving them a quick 'goodbye' and scurrying off.

"I don't get it, how would someone get hurt from him being in a safe place?" Mattie asked his mother who was still watching the young boy disappear from view. "Probably because someone dangerous is looking for him" she replied honestly, not wanting her son to be clueless about what was going on. "I've seen that boy before" Joshua (their father) gasped as he remembered that same face. "Lovino..." the man trailed off, as his wife's head whipped round to look at him in fear. "He's involved in what happened to Julius's grandson?" She asked horror flooding her voice as he nodded slightly at her.

"Don't you remember the drawings that he'd do for us?" Joshua asked grimly, flinching at the memory of Lovi looking so broken. "I see, boys I don't want you to interact with that boy" Adeline firmly told her children, before watching the younger twin glare at her. "No, I can feel it, Arthur is not a bad person and I won't ignore him" the Canadian sulked, his eyes however, were unrelenting. "Fine, I understand but if you talk to him, be sure to keep your brother close" she gave in.

"He's Arthur Kir..." Joshua began to tell them when the purple-eyes twin placed his hands over his ears. "No father, if he wants me to know who he is, then he shall tell me himself, I think he was going to before Alfie came up to us, but you frightened him and he decided not to tell me" Matthew observed allowing his forgiving and understanding nature to cloud his judgement of the British boy.

Both of the parents shook their heads at his stubbornness but watched the brothers as, the older twin put his hand around Mattie and kissed his forehead. "You're too nice, Mattie but if you want to be friends with him then count on me to be the hero!" Al exclaimed with a smug smirk, which made the other laugh in amusement.

Arthur found a place to sleep, in a little cobbled corner near the pub that held the gateway between the muggle and magical worlds. He shivered slightly as the cold night nipped at his skin irritating his wounds. The boy curled into a wooden gate that he was using as a pillow allowing the warmth of pain overtake him as his wound rubbed against the hard surface. The boy looked up slightly acknowledging that the dark clouds that were slowing forming overhead were going to rain down on him. He sighed slightly before tensing up at the shock of a particularly painful mark rubbing against the gate. "Bloody hell, it's just my luck" the Brit grumbled before crushing his eyes closed and forcing his body to shut down before he died of exhaustion and hunger...

'Damn it, I forgot what I actually came into diagon alley for" Arthur inwardly cried as his stomach seemed to start communicating with him right at the moment when he needed it least. An icy pellet fell from the sky hitting his exposed skin before he allowed the lull of the rain and the burning feeling of hunger pains to pull him into a dreamless sleep. He whimpered in his sleep at the nightmares that forever decided to haunt him, wherever he went plagued him once more.

Luckily for Arthur his whines and cried were drowned out by the loud clashing of the raindrops on the cobblestones and shop roofs. In the end only the footsteps of late night drinkers and the loud slashing sound of the endless rain could be heard, and for another night Arthur found himself freezing to death, alone in the cold unforgiving outdoors.

Matthew stared out the window, not knowing that somewhere out there another figure by the name of Honda Kiku was doing the exact same thing. Silently gazing out of the window, worrying wholly and completely about a certain blond-haired Brit who unfortunately was never given a break.

"Mattie, don't worry I'm sure that kid's fine, lets go to bed I want to stay with you tonight" Alfie cried snuggling his body close to his twins who, chuckled at his antics. "Alright, alright but I do hope that he's alright..." Mattie mumbled while allowing his body to be pulled close to his brothers under the warm, cozy sheets of their bed.

"I hope so, too" Alfie agreed, wondering how his brother felt about the person that he barely knew the name of. "Hey bro, do you like that boy?" Al asked with a smirk on his face, Mattie blushed violently before stuttering out a muffled reply.

"He's a friend" ended up being the only answer that the boy could get out without being embarrassed. "Are you sure you don't like him more than that?" Alfie asked smugly while watching his brother squirm. "I've only just met him..." Mattie trailed off after that, not really answering his twins questions. Al looked closely at the younger boy and noticed that he was asleep.

"Yeah, I really do hope that he's okay Mattie, I mean it..." Al looked conflicted for a moment before placing a small kiss on his brothers cheek and cuddling him close in order to find his own way to sleep.

"Honda, lets go to sleep, you'll see him soon" Yong Soo yawned as he snuggled into the nonchalant Japanese boy. "He'll be asleep on the street tonight though, and in this rain too" Kiku explained looking more worried by the second. Leon quickly moved over to the futon that Yong Soo and Kiku were apparently sharing.

"Like, he's so strong so like he'll be okay" Leon offered as he cuddled his brothers. Kiku found himself smiling before wrapping his arms around the others and falling asleep.


	2. Hogwarts?

Chapter Text

Okay so, Arthur would be the first to admit that turning up at a sweet shop first thing in the morning, drenched, shivering, looking intensely sickly and starving was not his brightest idea of all time. The shop keeper eyed him worriedly as he paced through the isles looking for whatever caught his eye. In the end he bought two pumpkin pasties, a packet of sherbet lemons and a box of Bertie Botts every flavour beans.

Of course, looking like he did the woman was oddly surprised that he didn't try to run out of the store in order to steal the items. Arthur Kirkland, was no thief (unless it was with his family because in his eyes that didn't matter considering they were all evil lunatics anyway). He found himself wondering over to an empty, slightly damp bench before digging into the food that he'd bought.

Arthur moaned in happiness as his teeth sank into the first pumpkin pasty, at this moment any type of food would have tasted like a 5 star meal. He scarfed down the first of the pasties in seconds, not savouring the food for one moment, he really did feel like it was going out of fashion as he ate.

"Bloody hell, I've hit rock bottom..." Arthur mumbled to himself before moving to eat the other pasty because one he was still hungry, and two, he'd already paid to enjoy the damn things. Arthur really hoped that nobody could see him at the moment because in all honesty he knew that he looked a complete and utter mess.

"Well, I'll be killed if I go home, so that's not an option" he mused, finding himself getting absorbed into his own mind. He knew that he needed some clean clothes and a shower but he had more important things to do considering that he would be going to Hogwarts tomorrow. Arthur found himself smiling as his thoughts drifted to Matthew and Kiku, he wondered where they were momentarily before setting out to find the things listed on the invitation to his new school.

Mattie awoke in the warmth of his twins arms, a loving smile curled its way onto his lips as he nuzzled his face into the warmth of this brothers neck. "You're tickling me" Alfie chuckled suddenly let out a loud giggle as Mattie moved his fingers to the other boys sides. Al found himself wriggling uncontrollably as his brother relentlessly attacked his sides. "Stop, please, I surrender" the older one cried, his laughter filling the air around him.

Mattie let go with a satisfied smirk laced onto his features. "And here I thought that a hero never surrendered" Matthew teased, watching as Alfie's eyes narrowed, in that moment he knew that he accepted the challenge. "Counter attack!" The older one exclaimed before pouncing on the surprised amethyst-eyed twin and tickling him. Mattie squealed loudly as, tears fell from his eyes.

"Alfie, stop" he giggled uncontrollably trying his hardest to push the older one away from him. It only took a moment for Alfie to trip over his own feet and fall off the bed. "Ouch" the sapphire-eyed boy groaned before jumping to attention, his brother had disappeared from the bed, making Alfie look around curiously. "Where'd you go?" Al asked out loud before moving around to stalk the other. He moved to his knees before crawling around the bed, just as his head was about to peek around to meet the sneaky eyes of his brother, a loud chuckle erupted from behind him.

"Honestly, what are you two doing?" Adeline howled, almost falling over in joy, her children were really the strangest pair. "Is that pancakes?" Mattie asked jumping from his hiding spot and sniffing the air in excitement.

"Why, yes, yes it is" the blond woman chortled as she gestured to the boys sitting on their bed. Once their bodies reached the bed, she placed a large tray on their knees revealing a large buffet of different foods. From pancakes to bacon, their eyes lit up, before large grins overtook their small faces. "Thank you, mother" they cried, picking up their forks and digging in.

They simultaneously hummed in approval at the taste of their mothers cooking. She leaned down to kiss their foreheads before exiting the room. "Mattie, I had a weird dream about that boy that we met yesterday, did you have the same dream again?" Alfred asked curiously, the twins often found themselves having either the same or eerily similar dreams to one another.

"Eh, yeah, he was there and so were you and I, oh and this strange Japanese boy who I've never seen before" Matthew recalled, putting his fork to his mouth as he tried to remember more about the strange dream. "Yeah, dude, it was so weird we were definitely at Hogwarts though" the older twin informed the younger before putting his fork into a piece of crispy cooked bacon and bringing it close to his lips.

"Well, we go there tomorrow so maybe we can see the future and we'll meet that British dude and the Japanese one, too" Alfie shrugged off the thought, before stealing the last bit of Mattie's pancake with maple syrup. "Eh, but that was mine!" Mattie exclaimed with a pout on his face. "First come, first serve, dude" Al chuckled biting half of the pancake on the fork and giving the last half to the Canadian who grinned gladly.

Honda Kiku awoke to the sound of his brother frantically arranging all of the things in his room in order to pack for Hogwarts. "Wake up, aru" Yao mothered as the Japanese boy glared at his adopted brother. "You know that I don't go until tomorrow, correct?" Kiku asked with a frown, seeing the older one so worked up was rare, so he wasn't as annoyed as he looked.

"This is the problem with waking up at 4pm in the afternoon, aru you miss all the time that you were meant to spend packing" the Chinese man told the other sternly making Kiku cast his chocolate eyes towards the clock. "I had a nightmare and woke up at three in the morning, I couldn't get back to sleep until around seven" he mumbled not wanting to see the pity in his older brothers eyes.

"Arthur will be fine, you will see him tomorrow morning" the older of the pair muttered, before stopping and putting the clothes he was packing down. Yao moved to kneel at his brothers feet, who was sat upright on a chair near his bed. The Chinese man placed his hands in his brothers before looking up to see the younger ones eyes. "You've known that boy since you were seven years old, and I've never been able to stop you from going near him despite the dangers, if you insist on being by his side, then promise me you'll put your safety first if put in a dangerous situation" Yao pleaded, his warm eyes not leaving the youngers nonchalant ones for a second. Kiku sighed, looking conflicted for a moment as he dropped his gaze from the others.

"I can't promise you that, I'm sorry" Kiku told him honestly, he'd never put his life before Arthurs, because the Brit was as close to being his family as Yao or Leon was. The eldest brother dropped his head, pressing a hand to his eyes for a moment. "I understand, stay safe" he whispered before walking away from Kiku, leaving the Japanese boy to watch him leave with a frown. "I'll try onii-san, I will" the raven thought aloud, his face contorted in sadness.

The next day was a rush of panicked last minuet packing and a mass amount of tearful goodbyes for Kiku's family. Honda never finished his packing much to the chagrin of Yao Wang who frantically yelled at both Kiku and Yong Soo to get their stuff ready. "We're going to miss the train at this rate" the Chinese man grumbled as they rushed past all the usual businessmen and women who were trying to board trains in the normal world. They only got a few strange looks from those in the station and Kiku truly believed that was only because Yong Soo's owl wouldn't be quiet as it rustled in it's cage.

"Arthur!" The happy Korean shouted as the confused Brit came into his vision. "Oh, your here, I was thinking that you might not show up..." Arthur trailed off, not wanting them to see how lonely he was waiting by himself. "Nope, we just got trapped behind all these god-damn muggles aru" Yao informed him while looking at the other people on the platform like they were demons. "Okay, so platform 9 and 3/4's is just through that wall" Yong Soo announced before pointing to a solid brick wall. Arthur blinked before turning to his friend, who only shrugged as an answer to the silent question.

"It's okay to be nervous aru, Yong Soo will show you" Yao laughed at the look on Arties face. Yong Soo look determined for a moment before charging strait into the wall and disappearing through it. "That's bloody cool" the Brit giggled before grabbing the small trolley he had which had two cases on it. Arthur pushed the trolley towards the wall and closed his eyes. Suddenly, a large breeze rustled his hair making him open his eyes. "It's nice isn't it?" Kiku asked suddenly appearing next to the Brit.

The train in front of them was a vibrant neon red colour, it's coat shimmering in the sunlight and smoke towering from the top. Arthur smiled brightly, he'd never seen a train look so beautifully unique before.

"Yeah, it is" Artie answered Kiku's question before pulling the trolley forward onto the train. "Tickets please" someone from behind them asked, as Yao gave the man the tickets for both the kids. "I'm free..." Artie whispered, not noticing how Kiku's face softened when he spoke.

They boarded the train, walking down the train to get a seat in an empty carriage. "This is really cool, I never thought that I'd be here" Artie told the Japanese male with a grin as they waved goodbye to Yao who was dramatically crying. Kiku chuckled before looking around to see if Yong Soo had followed them, he hadn't.

"I'm glad that you are though, have you had a think about what house you want to be placed into?" Kiku asked, momentarily forgetting that Arthurs fate was most likely set in stone. "I'm guessing Slytherin..." Arthur chuckled noticing how guilty the other boy suddenly looked. He put a reassuring hand on the Japanese boys shoulder and smiled happily.

"Don't worry about it, what house do you want to be placed into?" He retorted, wondering what his friend wanted to be placed into. "Well, Yong Soo's in Hufflepuff and Yao was in Ravenclaw, so I'm thinking Ravenclaw" Kiku began before flinching a little "I don't want to be crushed to death by that idiot each morning" he finished, imagining the happy-go-lucky teens hugs... Arthur let out a laugh at the honest fear of being cuddled by the overly excitable Asian boy.

A knock came from outside their cabin, making the British boy look up. "Hello, fancy seeing you here, eh" a calm Canadian voice rang out making Arthur smile. "Hello, Mattie" the blond replied before motioning for the other boy to enter and sit with them.

"I'm sorry for interrupting, there's nowhere else to sit and my brothers being embarrassing by fangirling about the quidditch team" Mattie blushed slightly, ignoring the amused look from the Brit. "This is my best friend Honda Kiku, Kiku this is Matthew Williams-Jones, I met him yesterday we got out wands together" Arthur explained allowing the Canadian a chance to turn round and inspect Kiku before actually speaking.

Mattie looked taken-aback by the Japanese male. "I know this is going to sound completely crazy but I really think that we were made to be friends" Matthew announced with a huge grin. He quickly sat down and awaited the other two's reaction to his declaration. "So, you know everything then?" Kiku wondered aloud making the Brit flinch and shake his head. Matthew watched the exchange with a confused look on his face.

"My name, I was trying to tell you yesterday, I'm Arthur, Arthur Kirkland..." the blond explained, his voice dropping to the faintest whisper at how ashamed he was to be related to the awful family. Honda couldn't help but feel sorry for the other boy, because he was going to have to be announced under that name in front of the entire school and then have to deal with the consequences of his families actions. It was going to be hell.

Mattie froze, fear coursing through his veins sending cold chills across his body making him shake.

"K-k-kirk-land" Mattie stuttered not wanting to think about who he was currently sitting with. "I'm sorry, you can leave I won't be offended or anything" Artie mumbled not once looking at the Canadian since he knew what he would see.

"I-I don't want to..." The blond replied, he didn't think that Arthur was a bad person. Kiku looked shocked for a moment before smiling at his new decided friend. "He's not like the others" Kiku told him with a warm look on his face. Mattie nodded to himself, he couldn't deny that he was frightened by the idea of being friends with a Kirkland, but he'd seen the good in him, and even Ollivander had said so.

"As I said, I think that we were born to be friends, I've seen it in my dreams" Mattie told them before leaning back on his chair to get comfy for the rest of the train ride. "Actually I think we should probably get changed into our uniforms before someone comes to check on us" Kiku laughed as he watched the Canadian wriggle on the seat. They quickly pulled out their uniforms before blushing intensely as they turned in separate directions to get changed.

"Can I turn around yet?" Arthur stuttered, a furious blush covering his face. "Yeah, can I?" Mattie cried out, Kiku hummed a reply that they guessed meant yes as they all sat down. "That's a tad big on you Arthur" the Canadian chuckled as he looked at the oversized uniform. "I only had enough money to buy one, so I decided to get a bigger one and not have to deal with a uniform being too bloody small at the end of the year" Arthur explained, an unhappy look etched on his face at he looked at his hand that didn't even come out from the sleeve holes. Mattie's smile fell for a moment as he suddenly realised that the uniform was the smallest size that you could buy. 'How skinny are you, Artie?' Mattie wondered anxiously, looking sideways to see the other male look down in sadness.

"Mattie bro!" An obnoxious voice interrupted the boys comfortable silence, swinging the door open violently as he jumped into the carriage. "Alfred, what have I told you about lowering your voice" Mattie calmly nagged, crossing his arms as he spoke to his twin brother. "Aw, don't be like that dude, where you been?" Al asked excitedly, making the younger of the boys motion to the two other people in the room.

"Ah, it's you the dude in diagon alley who wouldn't say his name and stuff, I'm Alfred F Williams-Jones, but you can call me Alfie" the overly loud boy announced holding his hand out to the green-eyed boy. "I'm Arthur Kirkland" the other shyly told the American who went pale at the name. "Holy mother of hamburgers, really like the evil, scary, I'm going to kill you Kirkland?" Alfred asked, not sparing the boys feelings for a moment making the younger twin shake his head and drop his skull into his hands. "Yes, you wanker, happy now" Arthur growled suddenly feeling very angry about how this person had categorised him.

"You're so disrespectful Alfred, imagine how Arthur feels when you say something about that about him, who clearly isn't evil or going to kill someone" Mattie shouted, raising his voice for one of the only times in his life. Kiku glared at the American who was already cowering because of his twins outburst. "Umm, look sorry, I didn't meant to offend you or anything" Al muttered, his voice sounding constricted at the idea of upsetting his twin brothers new friends.

"Whatever, it's fine, just don't jump to conclusions about people so quickly" Arthur moaned, his emerald eyes meeting sapphire ones momentarily. Alfie nodded, taken aback by the beauty held in the British boys eyes. "Okay, I got it, lets be friends I saw you guys in a dream after all so it's definitely destiny" Alfred grinned, seemingly letting the previous conversation disperse into thin air.

After rowing to the castle on a bunch of very rickety boats, the boys found themselves with a deep connection growing. "Honestly, bro you should just go by Kiku" Alfred decided with a grin making the Japanese boy sigh. Arthur found himself both liking and hating Mattie's brother, his obnoxious actions made him infuriating.

"Just call him Kiku and be quiet" Arthur told the taller twin who groaned, not wanting to drop the subject.

Mattie seemed to just ignore the situation, occasionally giggling at something that his brother would purposely add into the conversation. "There is a lot of diversity at this school, isn't there..." Mattie decided to speak, making Kiku look around at the other students. "Ah, these first years do seem quite diverse" he muttered, smirking at an Italian boy who was desperately trying to gain the attention of a grumpy looking German.

"Students listen up, my name is Elizabeta Héderváry and I am head of the Gryffindor house, you may call me professor Héderváry, the sorting ceremony will begin soon and you will enter the hall when I call you in, the students will be called in randomly, because honestly, I couldn't be bothered to figure out a good system" she announced spinning a frying pan in her hands before disappearing into the hall. The four boys looked at each other before laughing lightly.

"That's it, I want a frying pan, she looked totally awesome" Alfred declared making his brother and friends almost fall over laughing. Some of the other first years were also giggling at the overly happy American who was making his presence known whether the others in the room liked it or not.

"You're crazy, so it wouldn't be much of a surprise now would it?" The Canadian decided aloud before shaking his head at his brothers nutty announcement. "Get in here now" professor Héderváry growled at the students who couldn't help but laugh at her attitude, she was a strange teacher.

The students were ushered into the room where it seemed like thousands of others were sat at four individual tables throughout the hall. At the front of the huge room sat the headmaster, with the staff (par professor Héderváry). Banners of four different colours reined from the skies, with a starry night sky effect making them look as if they were floating in mid-air above them.

"There are four houses that you can be placed in, these are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin, the sorting hat will tell your true nature and place you into your houses, let the ceremony begin" professor Héderváry announced, looking towards Head professor Germania to see if there was anything he wanted to add. When no reply came, she lifted up a list containing their names before beginning to call them up.

"Alfred F William-Jones" the professor announced, making the American turn to his twin and grin with excitement. He rushed onto the platform, and sat down on the chair where head professor Germania placed a hat on top of his head. 'Very interesting, I remember your parents you know, your exactly like them' the hat grumbled inside the blond's head. "Gryffindor!" The hat exclaimed making the entire red-tied house cheer in joy.

Alfred quickly leapt of the stage, shocking half of the people in the room before be sat down set to the second year students. "He's too excitable" Matthew laughed loudly, along with Arthur and Kiku who couldn't contain their laughter.

"Natalia Arlovskaya" the teacher called as a pretty girl walked onto the stage. Somehow she had an air about her that made Arthur shiver, the hat seemed to speak to her for a moment before making it's decision. "Slytherin" the hat called out, once again making the crowd erupt in joy.

"Tino Väinämöinen" was called next, the cute looking boy smiling lightly, his adorable features catching Arthurs attention. "Hufflepuff" announced the hat as the boy quickly got down from the stage to sit with someone on the same row, who it seemed like he knew. "Heracles Karpusi" was the next to be called up, even though he had to be woken up to go on the stage. "Ravenclaw" came the hats reply. Arthur and Mattie were getting more and more anxious as the time went on.

Feliciano Vargas- Ravenclaw.

Lugwig Beilschmidt- Ravenclaw.

Ivan Braginsky- Hufflepuff...

"Kiku Honda" professor Héderváry stated, making Arthur and Mattie freeze. They gave him a look that said 'good luck' before he carefully walked onto the stage. He sat down elegantly as the hat was placed on his head. 'You've been through a lot, haven't you' the hat mumbled frowning for a moment as it searched through the boys mind. 'I want to be in the same house as Arthur..." Kiku thought, allowing the hat to hear him. 'I can't chose what I haven't yet seen child, but I know where to put you'. "Gryffindor" the hat cheered making the Japanese boy freeze in shock. Ever since he'd noticed that Arthur would be a Slytherin he'd hoped to be put in that house. Kiku sighed before moving to sit beside Matthews annoying brother.

Lukas Bondevik was next, being placed in Ravenclaw.

"Matthew Williams-Jones" the professor called, Mattie quickly moved his arm to squeeze Arthurs hand. "Be brave, alright and ignore what anyone says" the Canadian told him confidently, leaving Arthur with the rest of the students. He waited for the hat to be placed on his head, flinching slightly at the feeling. 'You really are a strange bunch, William-Jones, so much quieter than your brother I see' the hat decided as it spoke to him. 'Please, for Arthur look beyond his name' Mattie cried back, not caring about the house he was placed in. 'That's my job, Matthew' the hat softly told him. "It has to be Gryffindor" the hat spoke aloud, gently, making the boy kindly look at his new house.

"Arthur Kir..." Professor Héderváry started, stopping halfway through to look clearly at the name before announcing it, knowing a mistake would cause an outcry. "Arthur Kirkland..." She declared looking down into the group with conflicted eyes.

A trail of whispers shot around the room making Arthur feel suddenly impeccably afraid. Artie stepped out from the group of students feeling a bunch of burning eyes, glaring daggers into him. Sobbing students saying something about this being an 'outrage' sang in his ears as he walked onto the stage. He shook slightly as the hateful looks clawed at him.

Arthur sat on the stool, finding his courage in the words that had come from Matthew. The hat was placed on his head, as everyone watched knowingly. Artie found comfort in the eyes of his friends who looked at him, giving him a place to look at and not shake.

'Arthur Kirkland, I've had three people sit on this chair and call for your soul to be saved today' the hat told him with a pain in his voice. 'That's because they are kind, tell me can my soul be saved?' Arthur countered, wanting to know the answer with all his heart. 'How can you save something that isn't lost, you've seen too much, too soon, your heart is in pieces boy' the hat cried showing sadness on the outside as well. 'It frightens me, being here, I could get these people killed' Arthur told the hat, knowing that it might already know. 'And yet, for once you chose to do something for yourself while knowing the consequences' the hat countered, not allowing the boy to regret his decision for a moment. 'I know where to put you now, it's the only place where you've ever belonged and the only place you ever will...' the hat trailed off with those conflicting words. "With your true family Arthur" the hat said aloud making the kids in the room look confused. "With the Gryffindors!" The hat screamed, allowing the house to explode with both cheers and outcries.

Arthur felt his body move on its own as he practically ran towards his friends. He could feel his eyes cloud over with tears as Kiku pulled him into a hug. "I told you that we were family" the Japanese boy sobbed as he clutched Arthur as close to his own body as possible.

"Always friends" Mattie told him boldly as he was pushed towards the twins for another hug. The kids around him looked at him with both incriminating and otherwise worried looks. "You avoided fate, Arthur" Alfred told him with a broad smile, that told him all he needed to know about the American twins feelings. "I did..." Arthur realised before sending the older twin a blinding smile, that reached across his whole face.

Alfie stopped for a moment, his breath caught in his throat as he watched the blond become overwhelmed with glee. The American found his heart beating faster in his chest and moved his hand over his clothes in order to feel the heavy ba-thump that continued rhythmically. The boy barely noticed that a new Hufflepuff had been announced as he clutched his chest. "Are you okay, Alfie?" Mattie asked calmly, concern wrapped around his features.

The blue-eyed boy grinned at his younger twin, exhaling deeply. "I'm more that okay!" He announced before pouncing on the purple-eyed brother with a happy giggle. Kiku could only shake his head with a small hidden smile resting on his lips, he looked at his best-friend wondering what he could possibly be thinking at a time like this...

The boys didn't even realise that the sorting ceremony had finished, the only clue that it was over being the mass amount of different types of food suddenly flowing over the tables. "Wow, there must be thousands of things that we could eat on this!" Mattie cheered, looking eagerly at a plate of pancakes that were just a quick dash away, his mouth watering.

"I'm going to eat so many burgers, that I'm going to throw up!" The American yelled, as he started on his first one, plucking it from a large tray in front of them. Arthur watched the others in complete silence, seeing Kiku gently lift some chicken from a pile to their left.

The cooking all smelled delicious and looked amazing.

The Japanese boy took a single bite before a warm smile grew across his gentle features. Arthur took the same thing as Kiku, a chicken leg that was tenderly cooked. He took an attentive bite, it was the tastiest thing he'd eaten in a long time, a really, really long time.

"Wow..." The blond muttered catching the others attention. Mattie sent him a questioning look before Kiku shook his head as if to tell them not to ask. The Brit slowly ate the rest before putting down the bone and placing it on his plate.

"You should try these burgers, Artie!" Alfred declared, letting lettuce fall from his lips. Kiku cringed lightly at the disgusting display of manners that the American had just shown.

"Ah, I'm full, I couldn't eat another bite" Arthur told him, with a kind look. Mattie frowned slightly, feeling conflicted on whether or not to confront the Brit. "But dude, you ate like one tiny thing" Alfie shouted for Mattie, making the Canadian glare at his brothers insensitivity.

"I don't really have a large appetite, anyway yesterday I ate two whole bloody pumpkin pasties, so I'm good" Arthur grumbled, not liking where this conversation was going, since he already heard this enough from his stand-in mother Kiku. "Dude, that's nothing we ate them After breakfast yesterday but before lunch and we also had dinner, oh and we had supper" Alfie told him, making the British boy feeling incredibly sick.

"I've told you many times that you need to eat more Arthur, try and eat one more thing and increase your appetite bit by bit" Kiku decided, pointing a knowing look in the now angry Brits direction. The green-eyed boy simply shook his head and placed his face into his hands in order to hide from the burning gazes of his concerned friends and the disgusted looks of onlookers who knew about who we was and decided to hate his from it.

Arthur sighed lightly before pulling out his new wand and placing it to his head. Mattie gasped trying to stop him, as Artie did a spell that he'd heard from one of his brothers prisoners, to help him remember things.

He was often told it was a spell to 'penetrate the mind' and it was dangerous to cast on oneself, but he saw the others use it on each other to avoid the pain of torture. After a while, Arthur stopped caring about the consequences of using dangerous magic on himself. "Legilimens" he incanted before feeling the closure of his eyes.

Arthur felt his eyes open in a dream-like reality.

"Antonio's going to Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry, he wanted me to go there too" a cold Italian boy told him with a coy look on his face. "I've never heard of it, what is it?" A younger version of himself asked the exhausted boy leaning against the damp cell walls of the Kirkland dungeon.

"Well, it's a huge castle that's used as a wizard school, and there's a housing system and stuff, it's a lot to explain" the boy muttered before flinching in pain, closing his eyes to avoid seeing the guilt on Artie's face. "I'm sorry, and now you're here, but I'm going to make sure you see him again, your precious Toni" the British boy replied watching a warm, crimson flare across his friends cheeks. "Shut up, bastardo he's just a moron who happens to be a kind-of sort-of friend" Lovino spat back, not wanting to be made fun of by an eight year old. Arthur chuckled slightly before groaning in pain.

"Oi, you okay?" Lovino asked worried slightly for the smaller boy who often at with him in his cell. "It only hurts when I breathe, what about you?" Artie told him cheerfully making Lovi's face fall. "Idiot, you wouldn't be in pain if you stopped taking punishments for me" the Italian shouted, feeling anger rise in his chest, while the Brit glanced at the ground sorrowfully. "But, your here because of my family, trust me, nobody should have to face the cruciatus curse on their own" Arthur sighed feeling tears well up in his eyes. Lovino gulped as he remembered the searing pain, that crushed his bones, burning him alive.

"You shouldn't have to go through that for me" Lovino groaned, hating himself for not being able to protect the youngest Kirkland. Of course, he'd seen them preform the curse on him hundreds of times now, but he hated to see the other boy in so much pain.

"Don't worry about it, when we get out of here, we'll be able to help people who've been in as much pain as we have" Artie sighed, holding onto the hope that they would both make it out alive together. Lovino gasped lightly, he truly didn't believe that he was going to survive, but mostly be didn't think that he would be able to keep his sanity if he did.

"Can I tell you a secret, Artie?" Lovi cracked, feeling tears fall from his eyes at the grief-filled eyes of the younger boy in the room. "I'd be honoured" Artie muttered back, knowing that this was going to be something upsetting.

"When, they were...hurting me" Lovino started, making Arthur gulp.

"I had to think about how I wanted to die for the first time, and well, I came to the conclusion that the only person who I would willingly let kill me would be Antonio..." Lovino trailed off, waiting for the emerald-eyed boys reaction with a small smile.

Arthur didn't move an inch, leaving Lovino the chance to carry on with his confession. "And then I noticed something, your oldest brother he has similar eyes to Toni, and suddenly I was thinking that as long as I am looking into those eyes, I can sleep peacefully!" Lovino finished, seeing Arthur's shaking body turn to engulf him into a long, embrace. The two boys found themselves rocking one another back and forth, feeling each others pain.

"You know, your eyes are similar too, so make me a promise, yeah?" Lovino asked, pulling the other boy back on his lap and looking Artie dead in the eyes. The blond shook his head manically, fear radiating from him as his gaze moved to his legs. "No, no I could never hurt you, ever, I'd rather die" the Brit sobbed.

Lovino watched him fondly, moving his hands to stroke the soft blond strands of Arthurs hair. "You're so beautiful, Arthur and your heart is so pure, I could never hurt you either, but I only trust you, to help me, if I fall apart..." Lovino whispered placing his hands on the eight year olds face, though Lovino was only ten, he knew that he had to protect the smaller one. "If, I fall apart, then you have to kill me..." Lovi sobbed, his eyes overflowing with tears at the idea of the small Kirkland crying manically over his body.

"I don't... Deal, but you have to make me a promise too" Artie coughed, looking the older boy in the eyes once more. Lovino nodded in reply, if Arthur would keep to his promise then he would happily make a similar deal.

"When I get you out of here, I might not come with you..." Arthur stated making Lovino start to open his mouth. "No listen, the only thing that I want, is when you're in the big world again and you're at Hogwarts, dating Antonio and living with your brother, remember me" Arthur asked him, taking the boys hands in his own and placing a chaste kiss on Lovi's cheek.

"Okay, but why do I have to date that bastard, I'd never go out with him, that's disgusting, nope" Lovino growled making the younger boy chuckle. "Lovi and Toni, kissing in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N" Arthur teased before being brutally cut off by Lovino's lips crashing against his own in an attempt to shut up the taunting eight year old.

Arthur blushed furiously before pulling away and covering his lips with his hand. "How could you do that you, bloody wanker, I hope you and Toni eat each others faces" the Brit cried out, feeling incredibly embarrassed. "Bastardo, don't bring that idiot into this, idiot!" A flustered Lovino screamed back. The two argued until they fell asleep in each others arms.

One week later and Arthur had to let Lovi go, holding their promise close to his heart, forever and always.

"Arthur Kirkland, wake up this instant!" A furious voice rang out through the air as the boys eyes shot open to reveal a bunch of concerned teachers and frightened looks of his friends staring at him.

"What's wrong?" Artie asked, looking at them confused. Everyone else had seemed to have left the rooms, to where Arthur didn't know. "What were you thinking, casting that spell?" Kiku asked angrily, he'd never known what the spell was for until it was explained to him by one of the teachers who was concerned that the boy was asleep and not waking up. "Boy, you must be more careful, why on earth were you casting such a spell?" Head Professor Germania asked carefully, kneeling down to the boys height.

"There was someone who I wanted to share this moment with, someone who I'm not sure I can ever see again" Arthur told him, feeling as if the man was trustworthy somehow. The large blond-haired guy stared at Artie for a moment, before sighing loudly and smiling at the young Kirkland.

"I need to speak with you, boys would you run along, this is a private conversation" Professor Germania announced, turning to Kiku, Matthew and Alfred who watched with worry laced onto their features. The three boys nodded slowly, before reluctantly getting to their feet. Kiku leaned towards Arthur placing a small kiss onto his cheek.

"See you soon, okay" the Asian boy told him, a light smile graced his face before the raven followed the two blonds, looking back only to be shooed by the Head Professor. "It's okay Kiku, I'm sure the head professor just wants to tell Arthur how dangerous that spell can be..." Matthew trailed off, not really believing what he was saying but wanting to help the raven relax. "Somehow, I don't think that's it" Kiku murmured, as he entered the Gryffindor common room...

"Arthur, I'm sure that you know why I want to talk to you" Head Professor Germania told the little blond in front of him. "The invitation to come to this school was an accident wasn't it" Artie muttered, a sad look coming over his face. The older blond took in the boys reaction for a second noting that the boy wasn't angry and definitely wasn't violent. "That's correct, your family is far too dangerous to attend Hogwarts, your brothers were at this school and during that time, not one of them didn't turn evil" Germania grumbled, not wanting to think about how the older Kirkland's turned out.

He'd only seen them once after they had left the school, their blank expressions as the eldest casted a killing curse made the professor shudder. "I understand, if you want me to leave then I will, but please, tell Kiku that he'll always be my family and that I love him, Matthew and, oh what the heck, Alfred too" Arthur asked Germania, getting ready to be told to leave the school. Artie had to make sure that he told his new friends (and Kiku) what he felt because once he got back home, he would most certainly be killed. "I'm not asking you to leave Arthur" The professor declared, snapping the former out of his thoughts.

"Y-y-you're n-not?" Artie stuttered finding himself startled by Germania's declaration. Artie laughed lightly, the fear of having to go home leaving his tense body. The older man shook his head, finding that the younger adorable, as he chuckled the fear out of his head. "No, but I must warn you, there are a lot of students here who will not accept you as a part of this school, I would love to change that for you but your family has taken away a lot of people that some of these kids care about, and for that reason you will have to be hyper aware of who you can trust" Germania explained, a knowing look of horror in the Head professor's eyes. Artie nodded, he knew exactly what his family had done, after all he was there, he saw every prisoner, every torturous spell and every body...

"I will just have to prove that I'm not like them, as the first Kirkland Gryffindor" Artie told the former with a large determined smile. "Yes, yes I'm sure you will" Germania chuckled, he really hoped that the boy wouldn't get killed at the school, there were so many students that would hate him, how could he stop all of them?

Head Professor Germania escorted Arthur to his common room, wanting to make sure that the boy wasn't killed on his first day. By coming to the school, the younger student had placed himself in so much danger, but then again Germania could see that he was in danger no matter what he did.

"This is the common room for Gryffindor, your dorm is up stairs to the right and I believe you are sharing with Kiku, Matthew and Alfred" the Head teacher told him, making the young boys features light up as he ran towards the room leaving the professor with a quick 'thank you, I will never forget your kindness'. Germania smiled, before exiting the dorm, maybe this Kirkland was different?

"Arthur!" Mattie exclaimed as he walked into the room, the Canadian pulled him into a warm hug before letting go to allow Kiku a turn. The Asian boy wrapped his arms around Artie, glad that he was staying by the ravens side.

"Yo, dude I totally thought that the teach was going to throw you out of here or something" Al announced as he too hugged the blond wizard. Mattie threw a glare at his twin, who only shrugged as engulphed the Canadian in a cuddle.

"It was an accident that I got an invitation to the school, but I'm being allowed to stay" Arthur quickly summed up the conversation not wanting to worry Kiku anymore than he already did.

The Asian boy looked down to his feet in thought for a moment before pulling Artie over to his bed. "Honestly, he won't even let us pull him by the hand but you can sleep in the same bed, no fair" Mattie groaned, feeling left out considering he thought that Kiku was adorable. The Japanese boy looked at them shyly for a moment before reaching out to grab Matthews hand, a shy blush covering his face.

Mattie grinned brightly, happiness enveloping his features, he lightly squeezed Kiku's hand before letting go so Kiku could go to bed. "Thank you for trying..." The Canadian flushed, his body curling into his twins with a coy smile. "Dude, that was so cute" the American laughed, making Artie blush for some reason. Kiku hugged the other close, before allowing sleep to overtake him.

Artie soon noticed soft snores emanating from across the room, which he quickly discovered was Mattie. "He's so sweet ain't he, my twin?" A teasing voice shot out, when Artie looked over to them. Arthur noticed a sad look on Alfie's face, in contrast to his voice. Arthur didn't respond, he just decided to listen to the other boy. "He really likes you, but I don't know, our friend, he was hurt by you so much" Alfred grimaced, before gasping at blaming Artie for what had happened. "I'm sorry, that place is hell, and I just said you, no I meant your family!" Alfie exclaimed before flinching and looking towards Mattie checking if he had awoken.

"I don't blame you, I come from monsters, why shouldn't I be the same?" Artie muttered back, brushing his fingers through Kiku's soft raven hair. Alfie noticed how sorrowful the British boys voice sounded when he spoke about his family. "Hey, were they always like that?" Al asked, his mouth moving before his brain could kick in. Arthur let out a soft chuckle at the question. "No, once they were kind and loving and I miss them" Arthur sighed, thinking about his brothers loving smiles and gentle hugs.

"Goodnight, Alfie" Arthur yawned before cuddling the Japanese boy closer and closing his eyes...


	3. A nightmare, a dream, a reality

"Somethings wrong, he's changed, it's like he doesn't even see us anymore" Arthur heard someone cry, his sight muffled by another persons body. The blond suddenly felt his cheeks wet with tears as a sob left his system, all he wanted to do was cry.

"Art, there's no need to cry you've got us here, we love you" the same person who was cradling him close declared as he ran his hands through Artie's blond locks.

"Brother, what's happened to Allistor, why's he hurtin' us?" Artie gurgled his small voice startling the older two. Dylan (Wales) flinched considerably while Conner (Northern Ireland) just looked lost for a moment, his eyes gleaming with unshed tears.

They turned to have a silent conversation, while Arthur clutched Dylan close, his body trying to curl into the older boys.

"I don't want to leave you two, but I'm afraid that I no longer have a choice" Conner sighed, before he kneeled down to caress the small boys face. Artie didn't want to turn around. He didn't want to let go of his brother. He didn't want to see his face as he told him that it was his turn to disappear.

"I can't, w'en I turn awound you'll tell mwe that you're leavin'!" Artie sobbed as he pressed his face into Dylan's chest. Conner smiled sorrow overtaking his features as he startled to ruffle his little brothers hair. Arthur slowly looked around, his eyes filled with tears while Dylan's clothes were drenched.

"I love you so much, so no matter what happens now, I want you to remember me like this, right now, promise?" Conner asked his voice shaky as he held out a pinky finger to the baby Kirkland. Dylan's fist clenched as he looked at his brother.

"Why do you have to leave us too, wasn't Scottie enough?" The Welsh boy cried out, not wanting to let the other out of his sight.

"Ha, you better not let Allistor hear you calling him Scottie nowadays" the oldest laughed as he pulled the two boys into a hug. Arthur felt the warmth that his brother produced as they sat huddled in the mansion basement. Cold echoed around them as the three boys sat together cherishing their final moments together.

"Conner, please we can escape right now, we'll go and leave this place forever" Dylan pleaded, the body shivering in fear, as the minutes ticked by. Conner looked taken aback for a moment before he placed a comforting hand on his brothers shoulder.

"He'd kill us before we left the house, and I can't put you two in that much danger" the eldest moaned. Arthur looked terrified for a brief moment.

"But big bwother would leave wus here awone" the four year old muttered out his reply, not wanting to anger the eldest and make him hate him like Allistor already did.

"Oh, Arthur I can't I'm sorry, I don't want to leave you, I don't want to" the other muffled his cries into his jacket allowing himself a moment to panic in front of the two onlookers. Conner's continuous sobbing made Arthur's heart swell up in worry for the other.

"Big bwother will wove his bwothers forevwer?" The latter questioned as he patted the formers head. Conner went silent for a moment, his startled eyes leaving his hands to let his eyes meet up with the youngest.

"Yes, forever and ever" the Irishman told them, his hands reaching out to take one of each of theirs.

"Dylan I want you to look after Arthur now, he's our little brother and for that we must keep him safe from Allistor, and from now on, me..." Conner trailed off, his words sounding forced and horrified. Dylan's eyes widened before he nodded violently. "I will, I'll keep him safe for you, I won't let Scottie hurt him ever" the Welsh boy announced, as he pulled Artie back into his arms.

The second oldest out of the Kirkland brothers puffed out his stomach in pride as he looked at the youngest pair in the family. He looked relieved at the third oldest's answer and smiled at them both for a moment taking in their features. Dylan's hair was slightly tinted red, like Allistor's and his eyes were the same emerald green colour that they were known for having as a family. He noticed that the Welsh boys eyes had a hint of blue in them that made them almost turquoise, he suddenly found himself smiling at how beautiful the younger brother was. His hair was long like his own, the front styled to be slightly longer than the back, just like Arthurs was.

"You're going to have to cut Artie's hair from now on, lets go with a shorter hair style" the boy laughed as he ruffled the baby's blond locks. Artie was different from the other brothers, his hair was a lovely dirty blond colour, and his eyes were as vibrant as the forest in sunlight. Soft but breathtaking was how to describe his features and Arthurs heart, well even at the age of four, Conner knew that it was pure enough to withstand any evil.

"Blow us all away little brother" the Irishman whispered to the child before the group felt a familiar presence invade their senses.

"It's time, lets go" The Scottish teen bellowed, his eyes like stone and he glared at them.

"I love you, remember me, remember me, I love you" Conner cried as he felt the red-head pull him away from them, a wand at his throat. Arthur screamed, his hand reaching out to grab his brother but being held onto to Dylan who was clutching onto the four year old while rocking him back and forth.

"I'm sorry Art, we can't do anything, I'm sorry" Dylan hummed, his body shaking furiously. The two flinched and gasped as a pained scream came from upstairs.

"Conner" Arthur yelped as he noticed who the voice belonged too.

The pair remained embracing, holding their hands over the others ears as loud screams of agony poured down to the basement.

Arthur almost screamed as awoke from the nightmare. Luckily, he was trained to not make any noise when he was in pain, because he was sure that he would have woken up the other three boys who were peacefully sleeping in the dorm. The Brit looked down to see Kiku spread across his chest, the ravens hair was spread out on his body. The rest of the Japanese boys body was snuggled close with one of his arms around Artie's waist.

"You're so cute" Arthur mumbled as he combed the ravens soft hair out of the way, smiling softly at the boy who loved him so much.

"Don't say embarrassing things, Arthur" Kiku spoke shocking the blond, as the ravens eyes were still closed. He leaned up for a moment, rubbing his eyes to make them adjust to the light.

"Sorry, did I wake you up Kiki?" The green-eyed boy teased as he watched the Japanese boy stretch with a fond look etched onto his face.

"Don't call me Kiki, and it doesn't matter" Kiku assured the other as the Brit frowned momentarily. Kiku observed Arthur for a moment, the other boy was shaking lightly but expertly keeping it under control in order to look put together in front of his friend.

"Was it Conner and Allistor or Dylan?" Honda sighed as he looked at Artie expectantly, the taller of the two just shook his head for a moment as if to rid the memory from his brain.

"Conner..." he muttered ashamed to admit that the nightmares still hadn't left his mind in all the time since he'd known Kiku.

"It's okay, maybe you just miss him, I know that it doesn't count but it's still his face" his friend reasoned as he carefully watched Arties reaction to his answer.

"Perhaps, but then I've been missing him for a good seven years now" Arthur laughed bitterly, biting his lip in order to stop himself from letting out the cry that was desperately trying to escape his body.

"How about we try this spell that allows these little lights to form memories of people and things, the images are a little different from the real thing but you'll get to see them again, for a moment?" Kiku Honda asked his kindness making Arthur be taken aback for a moment. Arthur looked at the bed for a moment his heart pounding in his chest at the idea of seeing them again.

"You'd look at them with me, even after what they did?" Art asked his confusion making Kiku grin at him.

"Yes, because they didn't hurt me, the monsters that they are now did, those brothers that you loved, I love too" Honda laughed, his arms reaching out to hold the shocked British boy. Mattie moved to watch the pair, not wanting to let them know they had woken him up, he quickly looked at his own brother when he heard a faint noise pour from the body next to him. Alfred gave him a glance that only Mattie could understand before they got up from their bed almost silently and walked over to the other two. "Can we watch too?" Alfred asked making Arthur flinch as he looked at the twins.

"We want to know them too, because we want you to trust us, Kiku we want you to be able to tell us your past too" Mattie carefully explained his voice soft and caring. The Kirkland looked bewildered for a moment before an adoring smile managed to find its way onto his lips.

"I'd love to watch with you, Kiku what's the spell?" Artie asked the silent boy who cast the spell softly onto Arthur who laughed at the tickling sensation that the spell was causing him. Before they knew it hundreds of little lights had formed around them, almost firefly-like in size and colour, they lit up into pictures. Their colours adjusted according to the image that Arthur wanted to see. The British boy thought about Conner and Dylan, or more importantly, their kind gazes as he brought them flowers during a Quiddich match that he could barely recall.

As the image of a brunet with startlingly bright emerald eyes lit up in front of them, Mattie couldn't help but admire how beautiful the boy was. He looked around twelve, and his smile was one of the most breathtaking things that the Canadian had ever actually encountered. Alfred watched in amusement as the lights danced across their vision, he really wanted to reach out and grab the lights.

Somehow he managed to break out of the transfixed state the spell had put him in to look at the others. Mattie was filled with joy at the image of the brunet, while Arthur had an expression that he couldn't quite place. Kiku was watching with interest but turned to meet his eyes when he noticed that he wasn't the only one who was looking at the others. In the corner of his eyes Alfred saw that the picture had changed to another person all together.

This boy was older and had slightly curly red hair and a smile that told him that he truly cared about whoever he was looking at. The picture suddenly came to life in front of him as the person seemed to be laughing as the image almost zoomed out in order to show two dancing males and a small blond boy clapping along. The whole family looked overjoyed with whatever had happened, with a light red-haired boy and the same brunet as before absorbed in the dance.

The tiny blond boy was giggling as he clapped, and the older red-head ran over and picked him up, before cradling him in a dance as well. From what Alfred could tell, the song must have changed because the eldest and youngest were slowly rocking and spinning.

The brunet boy began to bow to the other and held out his hand while the other faked a blush and fanned himself before grabbing his hand. Their bodies were pressed together as they started to waltz. The dancers stopped momentarily to laugh uncontrollably, including the smallest Kirkland who was looking at his brothers as if they were princes.

"Wait this memory..." Kiku muttered aloud as Arthur grasped his hand without looking, Honda grinned without thinking.

"My third birthday, I will always remember it" he laughed slightly as he saw the Japanese boy tense up as if he was remembering something bad. Artie squeezed his hand reassuringly before looking to the lights again. The picture seemed to allow a new person to enter. A tiny boy who was toddling away from his family, who seemed to be quite chaotic as they wondered away without realising.

"Allistor" Arthur stated as he pointed to the video-like lights, it was the elder of the group he gestured to.

"That's Conner" he then said, motioning to the brunet. "And the other is Dylan..." Arthur trailed off. The twins turned back to the picture in front of them, now understanding who was who. Allistor- as he now knew him- moved to lift the babbling child smiling kindly at the baby. He seemed to say something to the others before the tiny blond ran up to him and inspected the baby before motioning to where the family had disappeared to.

They seemed to chase after someone with long hair that reached his shoulders, and another two boys, one was tiny like Arthur with raven hair and the other was taller and giddy. It was easy to tell that they had left the toddler because of the overly-excited Korean boy who was now being told off by an older person. Conner's lips moved, making the long-hired boy turn around quickly.

He seemed shocked for a moment before bowing low. The little raven almost seemed to copy his movements and also ended up bowing to the Kirkland's who blushed and rubbed their necks.

The long-haired boy smiled coyly, his hands reaching out to take the babbling baby. Arthur ran over to the baby once more, asking the older one a question before the Asian man smiled and moved the child down for the blond to kiss the two year old on the cheek.

"Yao, Leon and Yong Soo" Kiku stated pointing to the people in order of how he was saying them. Mattie's eyes widened in realisation as he looked towards the Japanese boy.

"So the little boy is you, and others are your own brothers?" The smaller twin asked, getting a nod from Honda as a way of saying 'yes'. Alfred chuckled, before watching the images again. Yao patted Arthurs head as he moved away from the baby.

The child seemed to speak to the Chinese man before Yao blushed darkly. Allistor had gone bright red too, as the boy looked up with an expectant expression. The Scottish man held out his hand and bowed asking for something that Alfred thought was a dance. Yao laughed but decided to join in, allowing Allistor to place his hands accordingly before starting to move into a dance. Baby Arthur held out his own hand to the little Kiku and the toddlers began to dance sloppily, falling down every couple of seconds but giggling and getting back up.

The two other brothers had chosen someone to dance with, Dylan with Yong Soo and Conner rocking the baby Leon. Mattie stated to giggle at the adorable memory that was playing out in front of him. He noticed that Kiku and Arthur were absorbed in the memory with lost looks on their faces. Mattie smiled at them, before reaching out a hand to grasp their already entwined ones.

"Your past is beautiful Arthur" the younger twin told him, his heart pounding at the look in the others eyes. Alfred watched in fascination as the Japanese and British boy shook away the lights on that were creating the images in front of them.

"Eh, wait, why'd you do that?" The Canadian asked, worry laced into his voice. The two others laughed before pointing to the clock. "One it's time for school and two, because the rest of what happened that day is another tale altogether" Honda sighed, his heart falling at the idea of going into a class this early in the morning. "Don't sulk, it will be good to get some lessons into us, I've never been to school before so this is all new to me" Arthur chuckled, making the three boys turn and give him looks that screamed 'pity'.

"Get dressed dude, today is going to be painful for ya'" Alfred groaned as he lifted off his top in front of Artie, who blushed and looked away. The twins were suddenly not shy as they started getting changed in front of the other two. Kiku was blushing and looking at his feet before running into the bathroom. Five minuets later, he emerged fully dressed and composed to see that Artie and the twins were also dressed and ready to go.

"Lets go, Artie stay close" the Canadian muttered as he left the dorm holding onto his brothers hand. Arthur had probably never felt quite as afraid as he had been the moment he entered the Gryffindor common room. All eyes turned to them, some of them burning with fury and others sparked with curiosity. Either way, Arthur didn't want them looking at him, with their stares came the reminder that he would never be able to fully escape his family's reputation and would forever be infamous.

"Hey Arthur, why don't we go and get some breakfast before out first lesson" Kiku offered, his hand reaching out to grab the other eleven year olds. A blast of murmurs filled the room some of the people 'whispering' were certainly not subtle as Arthur squirmed at the attention.

"Don't be afraid, we won't let anyone hurt you" Mattie smiled lightly at his own declaration, his eyes shining with kindness and trust. Artie took a moment to think about what the boy had just told him and realised that he was more frightened to how others would treat Matthew then how they would treat him...

'Matthew Williams-Jones you are so special' he thought to himself as he allowed the sweet words to lull himself into following them, the addition of Kiku's reassuring hand was also helpful.

Arthur thought it was strange that Alfred was not shunned for speaking openly to him, in fact in the ten minuets they had been out of their dorm, he'd already managed to make a ton of friends. Mattie laughed quietly at how his brother had decided to become Arthur's very own personal campaign manager into making everyone at the school know that he wasn't like his brothers. The boy practically yelled it at the people who eyed the green-eyed boy wearily.

"He's really going all out isn't he?" Arthur whispered cautiously to Matthew who giggled in response to the boys question.

"I think he really wants people to like you, if everyone knows that you're good then their less likely to hate you" The purple-eyed one replied, patting the Kirkland in encouragement. Kiku didn't comment, though he seemed amused by the situation as he silently watched his best-friend squirm.

"Don't enjoy this" Artie muttered turning to the raven who couldn't help the smirk that fell onto his face as he was caught watching the boy.

Arthur groaned at the boy who was still clutching his hand with all his might. Although Alfred was certainly helping, many of the children who lined the corridors would still look at him as if he was a demon. They would snarl as he walked past and many glared at him as if he'd just kicked their puppy. All in all, Arthur believed that the day was going quite well, even if it had only just began.

Mattie was comfortable just observing the way that Artie reacted to the constant string of insults, rumours and discrimination that almost everyone in the room was showing to Arthur. He noticed the small twitches in the boys face as people glared at him and the soft look of understanding he constantly held in his eyes. Mattie realised that he respected the youngest Kirkland brother more than he thought that he ever could respect someone with the boys background. Even in times of turmoil and cruelty the eleven year old stood tall, and yet still held no grudges towards those who knew nothing of him but a name.

Their first class was something called 'defence against the dark arts' and from the title alone Arthur knew two things that would definitely occur. The first was that he would be the top student in this particular subject.

With his background and large array of knowledge, it was clear that he could already defend himself against almost any dark spell that came his way. The second was the crippling anxiety that was forming, because Arthur knew that the teachers would take his opportunity to tell the class about his family and more than anything, they would stress to Arthur the importance of not hurting anyone.

From the title alone, Arthur could tell these things, it was the same way as you look at a pen and know it was for writing, it was an instinct that he'd learned overtime. He eyed the three students next to him and hoped to god that at least one of his friends would also he in that class. Arthur looked down at the slip of paper that held his timetable and leaned towards Kiku in order to show him what was on it.

The boy simply nodded before allowing his own timetable to appear in front of him.

Kiku let out a sigh as he noticed that they were in practically the same lessons for everything par three subjects. Matthew quickly joined them and looked at the timetables frowning slightly at the fact that he only had four lessons with Arthur and only five with Kiku.

The Canadians first lesson was 'transfiguration' and Arthur would be the first to admit that the class sounded as if it would be boring. He gave his best-friend a shaky smile before looking at the room number and setting off to find where they were supposed to be.

"Good morning class, I am professor Romulus and I am the defence against the dark arts teacher at Hogwarts" A man introduced as they were walking into the lesson, he simply pointed at two seats in the back of the classroom before moving to greet the next students that entered the room.

The students soon flittered into the classroom where Kiku and Arthur were seated, each of them having a unique reaction to the pair. The same typical responses seemed to occur with added small twists to their expressions or hurtful words they would spit out. Artie continued to ignore them along with the raven, they didn't want to start a fight on their first day at the school, even if everyone else seemed to be aiming for it.

"Well, I'm done with that now, welcome to my class" Professor Romulus declared as he walked to the front of the classroom.

"In this class you will learn to defend yourself against evil or dark wizards, any questions?" Romulus asked, his expression being void of any emotion as he spoke to the class. A couple of hands shot up across the room making the man groan slightly before addressing the kids. He nodded to one of the eleven year olds in the front row making their lips turn into a sly smirk.

"Are we learning to defend ourselves against the murderer in the back of the room?" The kid asked, his entire demeanour screamed Slytherin making the teacher grumble.

"Oh yeah, first of all, this class isn't about killing people, and hurting others is not what this class is about" the teacher spoke out seemingly remembering something that he had been told. Arthur patted himself of the back in his mind, thankful that the teacher wasn't just looking straight at him during his little declaration. Kiku on the other hand looked less than impressed at the fact that the teacher had been told to say that when in the presence of Artie.

"And murderer huh, well lets check that" Professor Romulus grinned, his smile making the class feel monumentally uncomfortable.

"Well, I can't check whether someone actually killed someone, lately a spell to show whether someone had used one of the unforgivable curses has been created" the teacher told the class, that was now deadly silent. Some of the kids looked confused, searching the room with their eyes in order to locate another student who didn't know what the 'unforgivable curses' were.

Romulus looked at Arthur for a moment, his expression tortured, he seemed to grimace as he looked at Artie making the youngest Kirkland wonder what he had done to the man. The teacher quickly cast a spell that the students couldn't quite make out.

Suddenly, Romulus stood up, as if it was against his own will, as did two other people in the class. Arthur felt his body being controlled as he was forced out of his seat, the other students glared at him knowingly as he realised what the spell was for.

Across from him, Kiku had also been forced up out of his seat. Arthur felt guilty that the other boy was put into the position of being shown to have cast an unforgivable curse in front of the class. It was because of him after all...

"Hmm, so Arthur, Kiku and I have all cast an unforgivable curse" the teacher hummed, as the spell wore off. Arthur refused to speak to the teacher for the rest of class. Luckily for him the teacher seemed to hate him, though he couldn't quite think of why the man would dislike him.

Well, he could think of one reason, but he didn't believe that the teachers would be prejudice towards him too. Kiku had seemed to go on speech strike after the man had cast the spell, though Arthur could tell that this was probably because he was being forced to re-live some horrid memories.

When the class ended, Arthur noted that he'd learned nothing that he didn't already know from his brutal lessons from his brothers. Kiku still seemed out of it as he approached him, a sad smile etched onto his face.

"Kiku do you want to skip the rest of the classes, I don't think that you're going to be able to concentrate and I would rather just stay with you" Arthur convinced the raven, who gave him a deadpanned nod before moving close to the other, ignoring personal space.

"I know, it's okay Kiku, it's okay he had no right to cast that bloody spell" Arthur grumbled, nuzzling the smaller boys neck with a worried expression on his face. The two of them decided that their dorm was probably the best place to hide out for the rest of the day as they walked towards their room.

"Arthur, am I a bad person?" The Japanese boy asked, earning a shocked gasp from the blond. "No, you are definitely not a bad person, if you are bad then I'm evil damn it" the Brit decided his anger getting the better of him. His best-friend was one of the kindest, level-headed people of all time and he deserved so much better than this.

"What happened that day was not your fault and you should never doubt that, I was there remember?" Arthur told the other, his body shaking with anger at the fact that Kiku even considered the idea that he was a bad person.

The raven smiled softly, hurt shining in his eyes still.

Artie gazed at him for a moment, he could usually tell when the other was sad after knowing him for so long, yet this was something that he couldn't just soothe away with kind words. No, unfortunately Arthur knew from personal experience that this was something that Kiku was going to have to deal with alone and learn from his own consciousness.

"I think we're going to get into trouble for skipping but who cares?" Arthur giggled, holding his friend close in order to comfort him better. The other male, gave him a look that said 'sorry' making Arthur chuckle at the cuteness of his friend.

"Don't be, I hated that first lesson, bloody hell I can't even imagine more of this" the Brit sighed rubbing his head as if to relieve himself of the pain of learning. Kiku was trying not to giggle at his friend, who was both lucky and unlucky for the fact that he had never attended a real school before.

Arthur was just taught spells by his brothers who would beat him or curse him if he didn't manage to cast the spell correctly. The raven's face fell as he remembered all the times that he had to patch up his friends back and torso from the amount of bruises and wounds that he would get from them. At first he thought that the male was insane if he believed that going back to the house and getting hurt was helping anyone.

Then he learned about Lovino and realised that his friend was trying to protect the others who were being hurt by quietly waiting until there was a way to break them out, and then going for it. After that, Kiku had learned that the Brit was much more than another evil Kirkland. Artie moved to snuggle closer to his friend as if he knew exactly what the other was thinking about. Kiku laughed as his hair tickled his neck.

"You're my angel Kiku, so you can't be bad" Artie muttered, placing a small kiss to the Japanese boys head. Kiku smiled in joy, wanting to tell the other that in comparison to Arthur he was nothing.

Arthur chuckled at the sweet expression on the polite boys face, still Arthur Kirkland had never gotten over the fact that he was not the first of the group to kill another, no, that was Honda Kiku.


End file.
